Welcome Home
by lexibomb
Summary: Four years ago, Sasuke returned to the Leaf Village and four years since Sakura left on her mission. Four years ago, Sakura was crazy about Sasuke, but he paid her no mind. Now, Sakura's returned, and it's Sasuke now striving for her attention. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Wow! Well, it's been a really long time since I've written anything. Like…a REALLY long time. Seriously. I think I'll start back up again. I'm going to boost myself off of the ground with a short romantic story. It'll only be a few of chapters long, maybe longer if I feel like it. I hope you guys enjoy it. (:

_I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. I just couldn't. That rose colored hair, those beautiful green eyes. I couldn't help but stare at her. Who was this girl I saw? She was so different from the girl I used to know and avoid. Her laugh, her smile, her gorgeous shape. Everything about her was astoundingly stunning._

A raven haired boy lay lazily in his bedroom. Arms behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling in almost a daze. Sasuke Uchiha was his name. Konoha's eighteen-year-old infamous ANBU officer, The Black Fang. Yes, Black Fang. This meant he was obviously the pupil of the Silver Fang, Kakashi Hatake. Sasuke let out a deep sigh and turned himself on to his side.

All day he had been thinking nonstop about one of the most gifted Kunoichi in Konoha, Sakura Haruno. Maybe he was crazy to be thinking about her. They grew up together, yes. She had always had a crush on him. But now things were different. They had parted ways, going on with their own lives, not bothering to keep contact with each other at all. They had been too busy for each other. Sasuke, had been a part of ANBU for going on four years, and Sakura had been on an S-Rank mission within that time. It had been years since Sasuke had even seen her since he came back to Konoha. But it was only this morning that he saw her again.

Sasuke had been waiting at the gates of Konoha to greet the returning shinobi gratefully when he caught a glimpse of someone slightly familiar to him. She walked with her head held high, her hands covered by black gloves. For what purpose, he didn't know. Her hair was longer than he remembered it being the last time he saw her – down to her mid back- and it was held back by her shinobi headband. There was just something completely different about her entirely. Behind his mask, his eyes were stuck on her. Yet, she didn't seem to notice him at all. She stood there, talking with her longtime friend Ino Yamanaka. She too, had also grown her platinum blonde hair back. She wore it in a high ponytail. Sakura had yet to look around to even see if he was there. Maybe it was because of his mask? Surely she had caught wind of him returning to the village. In fact, she had to have been there the day he came back, unless she had already left for her mission. She knew he was sworn into the ANBU. He knew that she did. Why wasn't she concerned about finding him? He wouldn't have her ignore him.

Sasuke made his way towards her, removing his mask as his feet carried him to her. He cleared his throat quietly.

"Sakura Haruno..." He spoke in his usual monotonous tone. The pink haired girl broke her attention away from Ino to look at him. Sasuke inwardly sighed in relief. At least she would pay some kind of attention to him now.

"Sasuke Uchiha." She spoke back. She smiled a faint smile and Sasuke could feel his stomach turning inside out.

"I caught word that your mission was successful." He said, inwardly slapping himself for not asking her personally how she was doing. Sakura nodded though not seeming to mind or care.

"Yeah, it went really well. It took a little while…but everything went according to plan."

Sasuke nodded in return, opening his mouth to ask her how she herself was doing. Why she wore those black gloves, how her training had been going. If she remembered this, or that. But before he could, he was cut off.

"Yeah, if you call a little while being four years." Ino jumped in happily. Sasuke glanced at Ino, clearly annoyed that she unwisely chose to interrupt. "Sakura, you have to come over. There's so much I have to tell you and show you."

"Like what?" Sakura asked turning her attention back to Ino. Ino jumped up clapping, her face red from excitement. She held out her left hand to Sakura, showing off the gleaming boulder of a diamond that sat on her ring finger. Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Ino's hand. Ino's smile only grew wider.

"Like…" Ino said, dragging out the word. "My engagement to Shika-kun for one! And our new, beautiful, _huuuuuuuge_ apartment! He's going to be so excited to see you! Well, he might not show it, but I know he'll be. You coming back safely calls for a celebration. Party at my house tonight!" Ino declared, throwing her hands into the air. Sakura giggled. Sasuke watched her. He couldn't help but study her newly developed, more mature features. How her cheeks became flushed and how her nose wrinkled and how she covered her mouth when she laughed and how her chest rose and fell evenly with every breath she took.

Ino grabbed a hold of Sakura's hand and tugged her along. "We're going to go buy you some nice new clean clothes, get your hair done for sure, get some nice shoes…."

Sakura turned around, waving at Sasuke before turning her attention back to Ino and her constantly running mouth.

Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets. He wouldn't let anyone know it, but he was furious as of now. How dare Ino come in and snatch her away when he was obviously trying to have a conversation with her. He shook his head, turning to head back to his own apartment when he heard his name being called. He turned back around. It was Ino.

"Sasuke! I hope you're coming to the party too! It's won't be any fun without you!" She called almost into the loud, busy city part of Konoha. If Sakura was going, Sasuke would go. He needed and wanted the time to talk to her without interruption and this might have been the perfect opportunity to talk to his old teammate, get to know her and make up for the lack of judgment he had made so many years ago about her.

Sasuke nodded, thinking it was a shame that Ino's voice was so ridiculously loud and obnoxious that she could be heard almost a mile radius away in the middle of a busy town. Good luck to Shikamaru. He was sure going to need it.

-Sighs- MAN! It felt really good start writing again. It's been years! My work is a lot different from how it used to be. I know it's pretty short, but read and review of course! Let me know what you think. More chapters will be up before you know it so keep your eye on this one!

- Lexi (: Yes, that's my name! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Okay guys. Well, I apparently have no life so I've already got Chapter 2 ready to go within like 2 or 3 weeks time! Lol. I hope you enjoy this one as well. And thank you for all of the reviews. I really appreciate it. (:

"Yes, I know. Casual? Alright. Got it. Yes, I already told you that. Idiot…Whatever. See you there."

Sasuke hung up the phone, obviously irritated. Naruto got dumber everyday. If that was even possible. He chuckled lightly to himself. Even though Naruto lost so many brain cells everyday and got more annoying than ever, he was still his best friend. Not much had changed between them. They were still as competitive as they ever when they were kids, but they were just like brothers when it came down to it.

Sasuke pushed himself off of his bed and made his way into his closet. He stood there in his boxers wondering what he should wear. If the party wasn't going to be formal, then what casual clothes should he wear? Everything he had looked almost exactly the same. Weird black turtleneck shirt, white shorts, and those knee high white and blue leg warmers. Boring.

He pushed around in his shirts before finding a relatively nice dark green V-Neck in the very back. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

'_Figures a shirt like this would be way back here.'_ He thought as he looked over the shirt then finally put it on.

It was almost seven in the evening and if he wanted to make the party in time to catch Sakura mostly by herself, he'd have to hurry. Rushing out of his closet, Sasuke grabbed a pair of black jeans hanging on one of the racks. He stopped and looked them over, not quite sure where he'd even gotten the things. He shrugged, stumbling clumsily as he attempted to put them on, instead landing head first on the floor.

"Damnit!" He groaned, rolling on to his side. He pushed himself back on to his feet and slowly (and unfortunately) put on his jeans. With a loud sigh, Sasuke slipped on a pair of green Vans to match his shirt. After grabbing his keys and a jacket, he left.

The streets were rather dark and quiet as Sasuke walked to Ino's apartment. He stuffed his hands in his pockets listening to the sound of the dirt crunching beneath his feet. He was getting nervous. This was a very foreign feeling to the reserved, calm young man. Things like becoming nervous did not happen to people like him. The more he thought about having some kind of alone time with Sakura, the more nervous he became. He shook his head. Sakura was so different now. She clearly was not weak and helpless like she used to be. She didn't need someone like Sasuke to come and rescue her when she was in trouble. She looked as if she would be the one having to come and save him. This made him smile slightly. He found it oddly attractive. The thought of Sakura coming and rescuing him when he was in trouble. Sasuke closed his eyes, his feet dragging along the dirt road. He bit his lip before realizing that he was outside and anyone could see him fantasizing about his ex-teammate.

_'I have got to stop thinking about her. What's wrong with me? Six or seven years ago, I didn't even care that she existed. Why do I give a crap about her now?'_

Sasuke ran his hand over his face before climbing the steps in front of Ino's new apartment. He knocked on a large navy blue door. It was just as tall as he was and was designed quite extravagantly. Almost in a Victorian design.

"I'll get it!" Came a deep muffled voice from inside. Sasuke could hear music inside but not clearly enough to make out words. The door swung open, a boy with a long spiky ponytail appeared behind the door, an emotionless expression glued to his face. He stared at Sasuke, then disappeared only to reappear as the opened the door more widely.

"Come on in, Sasuke." He said holding out his hand. Sasuke shook it politely, bowing his head slightly as he went inside and took a look around the main corridor.

"Thanks, Shikamaru. This is a nice place you've got here from what I can see." He said. Shikamaru smirked.

"Thanks, man. I'm just surprised Ino hasn't destroyed it tonight yet. She's been itching to have an excuse to throw a party here and I've been telling her no. But…" He paused and let out a long, over exaggerated sigh. "Sakura comes back from her mission and now I have no choice but to let her throw a party or she'll be throwing something else." Shikamaru scratched his chest, a look of aggravation apparent on his features.

"Throwing…something else?" Sasuke asked. He knew what Shikamaru probably meant, but he just wanted to hear it for his own amusement.

"Throwing a fit, her ten inch heels, a blow dryer, maybe even the couch." Sasuke snorted, stifling the loud laugh that was trying to arise. Shikamaru scowled, dropping the hand he was counting Ino's fits with to his side.

"Wow. Sorry man. That really sucks. To be married to someone like Ino, I mean." Sasuke chuckled, rubbing the side of his face with his palm. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Can't say that I don't love her." Shikamaru turned, walking down the hall into the living room. "Sometimes."

Sasuke followed after him. The noise in the living room hit him full force when he entered. A blast of music filled his ears so quickly, he thought his head would explode. The room was packed with people. Even people he had never even seen before. Tall people, short people, people from other villages. It was hard to spot anyone he knew. Until he saw a wild blonde head bobbing up and down in the crowd. It had to be Naruto. Sasuke squeezed and nudged his way through the crowd until he bumped into Naruto whose dancing resembled that of a seizure. He was dancing with Hinata. Her face was red, as usual, but it wasn't because she was embarrassed. It seemed to be more because she had spent a good amount of time dancing and rubbing herself all over Naruto. Naruto threw his arms in the air as the music picked up. Hinata jumped back quickly holding on to the side of her face. Naruto obviously hadn't noticed that he had got her pretty good in the jaw. Sasuke shook his head, embarrassed for his friend who didn't seem to think he looked like a complete…idiot.

"Naruto!" He yelled over the music as he grabbed the wild boys arm. "Have you seen Sakura?"

Naruto stopped dancing. He looked Sasuke over before giving him a thumb's up on his outfit and resuming his spastic dance. Sasuke's grip tightened on Naruto's arm. Naruto's face wrinkled in pain and his dancing came to a temporary halt. He turned his head, signaling for Sasuke to say what he needed to again.

"HAVE YOU…SEEN…SAKURA?!"

Naruto stared at him for a second, clearly in a state of shock. He shrugged, yelling back.

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SAKURA?!" He said as he resumed dancing- a lot more calmly this time. Hinata joined him once more.

"IS IT ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS?!" Sasuke called back. Naruto shrugged and shook his head.

"I GUESS NOT! BUT AS YOUR BEST FRIEND I THINK I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO KNOW!"

Sasuke scowled at this.

"LOOK…DO YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS OR NOT?!"

Once again, Naruto shrugged and shook his head. This didn't help and within the last two minutes, Sasuke had become increasingly annoyed thanks to Naruto. No surprise. He let go of Naruto's arm and squeezed his way past everyone and out of the crowd. On the sidelines of the dance floor, there were chairs lined against the wall. Occupying one of those chairs was his once enemy, the Sand Village's redheaded Kazekage, Gaara. Sasuke took the seat next to him. Gaara made no attempt to acknowledge Sasuke's presence. He just continued to sit and watch everyone else jump around and dance.

Sasuke found it kind of strange to see that Gaara came to a place like this. He didn't seem like the kind of person to go to a house party. But then again, neither did he. Gaara sat there with his arms crossed over his chest. His hair was a bit shorter than it was the last time he had seen him. Which made sense seeing as the last time they had even communicated was at the Chuunin Exams. And back then, they didn't exactly end their relationship on good terms. Sasuke slouched forward in his chair as he kept his eye on the jumping crowd.

"Uchiha, Sasuke."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. His ears had barely caught that voice. It was as if the voice could only carry itself so far until it just faded away. Sasuke turned his head, making eye contact with Gaara.

"Who is it you're looking for?" He asked. Again his voice was so quiet, Sasuke barely heard him. He sat up straight, his eyes still glued to Gaara's.

"How do you know I'm looking for someone?" He asked curiously. He didn't say anything to Gaara about him looking for anyone and it had to have been nearly impossible for him to have heard him screaming to Naruto about Sakura. Gaara almost unnoticeably shrugged his shoulders. If it hadn't been for him holding the gesture, Sasuke wouldn't have known that he shrugged at all.

"Well?" Sasuke asked, still waiting for a response. Gaara broke his gaze away from Sasuke, returning it back to the party in front of them both.

"It doesn't exactly look like you're here for yourself." He answered simply. Sasuke cocked his head to the side.

"What?"

"Most people come to a party to enjoy themselves. Not to look around and make it unbelievably obvious that they're searching for someone."

Sasuke bit his lip as he kept his eyes locked on Gaara. How did this guy know so much in so little time just by watching him? It was creepy to say the least, but Sasuke would expect something like that from the Kazekage himself. Gaara shifted in his seat.

"So, who exactly are you looking for?" The redheaded shinobi asked. Sasuke sighed.

"Haruno Sakura."

Gaara turned his head at this, his emotionless eyes looking Sasuke over. Even he too knew that this was the least likely person for Sasuke to be looking for. Sasuke shook his head.

"Just forget it, man. I was just wondering where she-"

"The kitchen." Gaara cut in. He stood from his seat and pointed carelessly to his left. Sasuke nodded. Who would've thought Gaara would have been the one to help him out. Sasuke glanced to his left, and then back at Gaara who was now gone.

Sasuke grinned. He knew Gaara more than likely wouldn't have stuck around for Sasuke's gratitude, and he wasn't going to stick around and wait for him to return so that he could finally give it. With an almost quick and excited pace, Sasuke strolled to the kitchen to finally find Sakura.

And here is where I must stop unfortunately. I don't want to spill out the rest of the story in this one chapter. I love to leave you all wondering what's next. Also, I really need to pay attention in class. _

- Lexi!


	3. Chapter 3

Wow. It's been quite some time! A few years to be exact lol. After a few emails asking me to pick my story back up, I read it over and decided that I would at least give my readers the respect of finishing it up. So after a much too long hiatus, here we go!

There she was. The flower blossom Sasuke had been looking for since he'd arrived. She was standing in the kitchen with Ino, Temari, Gaara's older sister, and Tenten. He could see Chouji behind th em in the refrigerator digging for something to eat. Ino was making wide hand gestures, sure to show off the diamond on her hand. Sasuke rolled his eyes. _'Girls…' _Sakura though. She looked stunning. She stood there in a tight knee-high white dress, a red blazer covering her surely soft shoulders, and matching red pumps lifting her to new heights he hadn't seen her at. Her hair wasn't held back by her Shinobi headband now. It was loose and wavy and fell over her shoulders like a silky pink curtain, soft as ever. She looked so amazing, he was sure he had drooled on to his shirt.

He began to make his way over to the group when his feet suddenly came to a halt. What exactly was he going to say when he got there and dragged Sakura away from her friends? Was he going to tell her he loved her? Was he going to apologize for all the years of agonizing pain he had caused her? What was he going to even start with? The apology seemed like the best route since coming right out and telling her he loved her seemed a bit much. He didn't even know if he loved her himself. He needed to figure that out. But that couldn't happen if he didn't gather up the courage to talk to her and arrange time for them to hang out.

Sasuke sighed. His stomach was in knots now. Why the hell was he so nervous about talking to her? Why was his tongue as dry as a sand pit right now? His palms felt sweaty. He rubbed them against his pants. It suddenly felt hot in the room. _'Shit, man. What is going on? Just talk to her!'_ He heard Sakura laugh. He watched her. Her green eyes closed, her little nose crinkled with each giggle, her tiny hand covering her plump red lips. She was beautiful. So beautiful. And this made Sasuke even more tongue-tied. His stomach was doing flips. Was this what was always going to happen when he got around her? If he didn't push through this obstacle, it only made him look like a weakling and he refused to be one. In any aspect of his life. If he could make it successfully through ANBU training, he could talk to Sakura. He pushed forward.

"Sakura." He said, clearing his throat quietly so no one would hear him. Sakura turned around, she smiled widely at him and this made his knees go weak. _'Wow.'_

"Hey, Sasuke!" She said happily. She looked even more beautiful up close. Sasuke could really see how much her facial features had grown and matured since they'd been apart. She had fully grown into a woman. She began talking again and Sasuke brought his eyes back up to meet his. "Well, ha, I'm going to be honest. I didn't really expect you to be here. Doesn't seem too much like your scene." Sasuke could see Ino, Temari, and Tenten nodding behind her in agreement. He didn't blame them. He had spent years brooding and giving off an anti-social persona anyways. It was a stretch that Ino had even invited him.

"Well, I thought I'd try something new. Also, a lot has changed since I've been back. I thought it would be a good time for you, me, and Naruto to catch up with each other." He punched himself mentally. Why would he want to include Naruto in this? Even though Naruto and Hinata were an item themselves, Naruto had always had feelings for Sakura. He didn't want him anywhere near her if he didn't have to be. "Or, well, you and I. Naruto is a little…preoccupied." He said, knowing Naruto was still dancing his head off. Sakura nodded. She looked at Ino who gave her a shrug of the shoulders. Sasuke looked confused. Must've been girl code and Ino was giving Sakura the "Ok" to go ahead and hang out with Sasuke. Sakura turned back to Sasuke and nodded. They were good to go.

Sasuke slid the door open to the back patio. It was dark and quiet out there. The music was faint in the background, a good place to talk. He closed the door behind Sakura and took a seat on one of the two chairs outside. Sakura took a seat next to him. The moon hit her pale skin perfectly and brought out her curves in all the right places. Sasuke took a deep breath, trying to control himself from throwing himself down at her feet. Sakura looked at him with a smile. "So, how have you been?" She asked quietly. And just like that, Sasuke's words were caught in his throat. He looked away from her and coughed slightly.

"Well, I've been good. Better than that, actually. So much has happened since I've come back to Konoha. My brother and I are closer than ever. I have my dream job as an ANBU officer. I'm stronger than I'd ever thought I'd be. Everything is great." He smiled. It was the honest truth. Everything was going so well for him. "What about you, Sakura?"

She took in a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "Well, everything has been good for me too given the circumstances. I mean, I haven't even been home for a day and I feel like I've missed out on so much. My best friend is engaged and living with her former teammate, Naruto and Hinata are together? I mean, really? Who saw that coming?" They both chuckled. "Everything seems so good here. All of the villages get along so well now. I feel great knowing that I had something to do with that. I do however feel so left behind." She ran her hands over her knees, pulling her dress down. For the first time since they'd seen each other, she reminded him of the Sakura that he used to know. The one who never hesitated to pour herself out to him. He would be lying if he said he hadn't missed this. He was lost, so lost at one point in his life, but he found himself and had opened his eyes to what was once before him. By that time, she was gone only to be seen four years later when she returned from an S-Rank mission that he had never expected her to be considered for.

Sasuke lifted his hand to touch hers only to quickly yank it back when he heard the sliding door open. The sound of the music burst through so abruptly it made Sakura jump. He sighed, aggravated that it was probably Naruto come to ruin everything. He looked up. This face wasn't familiar at all. A boy that could only be a few years older than them came through the door looking them over. His face was just as emotionless as Sasuke's once was only a few years back. He put his hand on Sakura's shoulder which made Sasuke cringe.

"Sakura-san." He said leaning forward to kiss her cheek. Sasuke's eyes widened. Who was he? Sakura turned her head to meet the face of the stranger. "Sai…" She gasped. He leaned forward to kiss her lips and she pulled back. "Sai…what are you doing here? I thought, I thought you were on a mission." She asked. She looked as shocked as Sasuke was. 'Sai' stood up straight, keeping his eyes locked with Sakura's. He didn't even bother to acknowledge Sasuke which only annoyed the Black Fang.

"Well, I had just finished my own mission when I caught word that you were back home. I had to get here as soon as I could. I left the rest of my team behind just to come and find you. I missed you." He leaned down to kiss her but just to get the same result. She pulled back.

"You left me, Sai." She said sharply. Her facial expression was now that of a stone. She looked ready to kill. Those soft green eyes were now hard and serious. "Don't think that you can just waltz on in and everything will be back to normal. You deuced out when things got serious. We were together for three years, you left me halfway through my mission, and it took me two years to get over you. And trust me, I'm over you." She stood now and Sai wrapped his arm around her. Sasuke was about to stand himself until he saw Sakura grasp his arm. She gave it a small squeeze but it puzzled him. The squeeze was so slight, but it made Sai cry out like a baby. "Listen to this because it will be the _only_ time I say it to you, Sai. You left me. I don't want you anymore. So get it through your head or I'll knock it into you…and I'm sure you don't want that." Sai was on his knees now. Sasuke's mouth was open as he watched. Now, he didn't know who Sakura was anymore. Was it she who had missed out on what had been going on in Konoha or was it him? Sai cried out again. What was Sakura doing to him? Not a single vain was protruding from her hand. She let go and Sai let out a huge breath of relief. She looked over at Sasuke and gave an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I'm going to go back inside with the girls." Her cheeks were red now. She was embarrassed. "Can we pick up this conversation tomorrow?" He nodded. "Great, meet me at Ichiraku tomorrow at around…two?" He nodded again. "Awesome. I'll see you then." And with a wave, she was back inside, and gone through the crowd.

Sasuke was so confused. What the hell had just happened? He looked down at Sai who was clutching his arm, a large bruise was already beginning to form where Sakura's hand had once been. Sasuke looked back at the doors and into the party. He could see Naruto slouched over on the couch, drunker than ever, Hinata standing over him and fanning him with her hand. Kiba stood behind her flirting with whatever girl walked past him. But no more signs of Sakura. This girl was so different from the one he knew and the night could not go by quickly enough. He was eager to get to Ichiraku to meet the pink haired Kunoichi. The once soft and fair maiden was now a fiery ball of attitude and he couldn't wait to know her better. He stood and stepped over Sai who was still groveling on the ground. Two o'clock, hurry up.

Okay, that's it for now! Hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think.

Lexi


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, well I ALWAYS seem to fall off the map when I'm writing stories, but I've been really craving some writing lately. I'm back to add another chapter! Hang out tight! Ya'll are gonna like this one. (Excuse my "ya'll". I'm from Texas :P)

The sun shone brightly through Sasuke's windows. It was about 11 in the morning. Sasuke hadn't slept a wink. He kept replaying the events of the night before. Sakura and how beautiful she looked all night. How everything she did was the epitome of perfection. He had been up most of the night thinking about her. He also had been up all night thinking about the event that ended their time together for the night. Sai – who he had assumed was her ex-boyfriend – had really pissed her off. He couldn't stop thinking about how Sakura had grabbed his arm and squeezed it so subtly that if it hadn't been for his intense ANBU training, Sasuke would not have even noticed. A squeeze so subtle but so damn strong that it brought a grown man – a Jounin – to his knees. Sasuke rubbed his eyes. He was supposed to meet Naruto in the town and discuss whatever it was Naruto wanted to talk about. Before leaving the party last night, a drunken Naruto had yanked him to the side.

_The night before…_

_"Sasukeeeeeeee" He dragged out. He was drunk. Sasuke covered his nose and nodded._

_"What's up, man?" Sasuke said. He got along a little better with drunken Naruto than with sober Naruto. Drunken Naruto didn't try to challenge him to every little thing unless it was a drinking contest and Sasuke always let him win those._

_ "Dude. You know what's coming up right?" Naruto asked. His words were slurring and he was making it hard for Sasuke to understand him. He did know what was coming up though. It was something that meant a lot to Naruto and he was excited to help everything go smoothly for him. "It's the anniversary of my mom and dad's death and the day I was given the Kyuubi. I wanted to do something for my parents, though. A celebration or something. Will you go with me to Granny's tomorrow to ask permission to throw a party for the city?"_

_Sasuke smiled. Everyone treated Naruto so well now. Not because he was the son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki before him, but because Naruto, with the help of his parents, saved the world. Sasuke couldn't have been happier that Naruto had put the pieces of his family together during the time of war. It gave him strength to succeed and to save everyone._

_He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and looked him in the eye. It was two brothers connecting even if one was blacking in and out of consciousness due to too much consumption of alcohol. "I will be there for whatever you need, bro." Naruto reached forward to pull Sasuke into a hug. It made him feel awkward. He still wasn't one to express this much emotion. He was just about to put his own arms around Naruto when he felt Naruto's embrace slip and he fell to the ground. Sasuke looked down at him. He was asleep. The idiot had had way too much to drink. Sasuke rolled his eyes and slipped out the door. Tomorrow was going to be a long day._

_The next day…_

Sasuke locked his front door and headed down the steps of his apartment. He was greeted by a pale face with blonde hair sitting atop the head. Sunglasses covered the blue eyes behind them and the young boy greeting Sasuke had his hands in his pocket. Sasuke chuckled. Poor Naruto shouldn't have left the house today.

"Wow, Naruto. Are you sure you're up for today? Maybe you should go -"

Naruto put his hand over Sasuke's mouth, sliding it down his face until just his index finger was left covering his lips. "Stop screaming at me." He croaked. "Just…stop." Sasuke smiled under Naruto's finger. He took a deep breath and shrieked:

"NARUTO UZUMAKI, I'M NOT SURE TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO GO TRYING TO MAKE PLANS FOR WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANNA DO SO I THINK YOU NEED TO – "

Naruto swung at Sasuke's stomach in a hung over fury, but Sasuke grabbed his fist before it made contact. "Too slow as always you idiot." Naruto cried out as Sasuke pulled him forward and put him in a full nelson. He swung his arms around wildly, his sunglasses hanging crookedly on his face with one eye exposed.

"LET ME GO ASSHOLE! SASUKE, I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

"Sasuke?! Naruto?!"

Sasuke froze. He let Naruto fall from his grip. He hit the ground with a loud "OOMPH" and sat up. His sunglasses were now hanging from one ear for dear life. Sasuke stared ahead of him. In front of them was Sakura in a pretty yellow sundress. Her hair was up at the very top of her head in a loose bun with a few stray hairs hanging down the sides of her face. She looked just as amazing as she had the night before. When did she start dressing like this? Sasuke liked it.

"Sakura! How are you?!" Naruto screeched from the ground. He stood quickly and wiped himself off. "What are you doing all the way over here?"

Sakura smiled widely as she looked them both over. She shook her head and laughed. "You both haven't changed one bit. It's so refreshing to see you two still fighting each other like the friends you used to be."

Sasuke felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. Hearing her say that made him think about when they were just kids. How she wanted his attention so badly and observed his every move, but he paid her no mind. Now, she was a beautiful woman who could get any man she wanted. He could tell by the way just about every man almost broke their necks to turn back around and get one last look at her after passing by. He wanted to be with her. He wanted her to be his and his only. But, now wasn't the time to get caught up in feelings. Especially not when Sakura didn't even know how he felt. As far as she knew, he was a total ass clown to her the entire time they had known each other and then all of a sudden, he had changed and she was just supposed to be with him? He didn't know how she felt about him anymore anyways. She didn't act how she used to. Had she finally moved past him and gotten over her feelings for him?

"Sakura…" He said finally. She smiled at both him and Naruto, but he felt his stomach tighten anyways. Every time she was around, he became a nervous wreck. He had to get it together.

Sakura stepped closer to them. "I was just taking a walk before I met with Sasuke for lunch." She looked at Sasuke and smiled again. His knees went weak. "I hope you didn't forget, Sasuke." She reached forward and pat some dirt from Naruto's shoulder. How could Sasuke have forgotten their lunch plans? It was all that he was looking forward to, but he couldn't come off eager. He had to play it cool. He slipped his hands into his pockets and looked off to the side.

"I didn't forget. I just had plans with Naruto so I was gonna meet you later." He said coolly. Maybe if he acted like his old self, Sakura would take more notice of him than she was now. She was smitten with him when they were kids because of that. But maybe it was because back then he was a broken soul. He was so angry with the world and his brother and Naruto for growing in power while he struggled. He wasn't that kid anymore though. He was happy. He and his brother had grown closer than ever and he and Naruto were better friends than they had ever been. He could never pretend to even go back to that. He removed his hand from his pockets and let them fall at his sides.

"I am looking forward to it though."

Sakura smiled, grabbing Naruto's sunglasses and putting them back on his face properly. She stepped back from him. He was as clean as he was going to get. Good luck to Hinata. She looked back to Sasuke. "Where are you both headed to now? I'd love to tag along if you don't mind." She glanced back at Naruto before bringing her gaze back to Sasuke. "Just like old times. Just like Team 7."

Like Team 7…

I'm gonna stop here for now. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Let me know what you think!

- Lexi! :D


End file.
